Spring Street Smokehouse

Spring Street Smokehouse is located in a small storefront in Chinatown. It is just up the street from the famous Phillepe's French Dips. On the Sunday evening we visited, parking was not an issue with open meters just a few blocks away.

We were seated immediately although the restaurant was crowded--we just got lucky to get the last table available. Shortly after we were seated two large groups came in and hung out at the bar waiting for other diners to leave.

Each table has a loaf of bread on it to help you soak up the sauce--or to snack on while you wait. Look for the chalkboard for the specials--they seem to be a pretty good deal. This restaurant has your typical bbq fare along with some salads and specialties and a few surprise dishes. I ordered the Cajun Stuffed Chicken and the fresh squeezed limeade. I was unsure if the limeade had free refills so I drank it slow and they never offered. The chicken was huge and enough for two meals. It was smothered in their sweet bbq sauce. The chicken had a lot of flavor from the inside stuffing but I felt really guilty eating it knowing what was stuffed inside. It came with my choice of beans, fries or coleslaw. I got the beans and, although there were plenty, they were nothing special.

My dining mates ordered the beef ribs and the buffalo ribs. The buffalo ribs had a unique flavor that reminded me of beef jerky. They weren't as tender as regular ribs. The problem to our entire party was the sauce. They had mild and hot sauces which tasted practically identical except one had a slight kick. The sauce was really sweet with a hint of molasses or cinnamon that nobody seemed to like much. They also didn't have any sauce on the table which to bbq fanatics can be disappointing. Nobody asked for extra sauce but I'm sure they needed it (had they liked it in the first place).

For dessert we all tried the S'mores cup. It was really rich! I think we all could have shared one. It was a graham cracker crust topped with a thin layer of chocolate (it needed more here to cut the sweetness!) and then a layer of toasted marshmallows. I couldn't finish it because of the lack of chocolate and the extra sweetness--plus it was a lot of work to get the graham cracker crust out of the cup. It was a neat idea but needs some work.

If I wanted bbq and there was nowhere else and I was in the area I would consider this place again--but I might try something different. I noticed later on in the evening that they had all sorts of sides that you can order for an additional cost with your entree. I think I would have preferred mac & cheese or grilled vegetables to the beans even though it was more expensive. I wish I had noticed before!

640 North Spring Street

Los Angeles, CA 90012

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